"Everybody stopped me from doing it."
Bipasha Basu is a popular Bollywood actress, known for her brave performances and sexy screen image.
Among her many loved films is Jism (2003). The film was an erotic thriller and was one of the first of its kind in Indian cinema.
It was produced by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Amit Saxena.
Jism tells the story of Kabir Lal (John Abraham) and Sonia Khanna (Bipasha Basu). They embark on a passionate affair.
Bipasha recently recollected the negative response she received from the industry after signing such a film.
She said: “Jism was the time when I was at the peak.
“Everyone told me, ‘You cannot do an adult content film. You are like the typical Hindi heroine who is now established in people’s hearts’.
“And I said, ‘I just like the story so much’.
“I said I’ll go ahead and do it. Everybody stopped me from doing it. My manager thought I had gone crazy.
“But it worked for me and then things changed. Women suddenly were tonging their hair.
“They wore a bronze look. There was no stereotypical (thinking) that the woman can’t play the negative character.
“It all changed after that. So it’s been path-breaking for me.
“That has been one very important film.”
Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, Pooja Bhatt, who was a driving force behind-the-scenes, revealed she continuously checked if Bipasha Basu was comfortable during filming.
However, Pooja admitted that she overlooked John Abraham.
The veteran actress stated: “I went to actually explain to them what was required.
“I’m telling Bipasha that this is what we have to do, but if [she is not] comfortable…
“John just looked at me and said, ‘Excuse me? Does somebody mind asking me whether I am comfortable doing this?’
“For me, that was like somebody threw a bucket of cold water on me.”
“How presumptuous of us women to think that it’s only the woman who is awkward in an intimate situation. The poor guy.”
Despite the uncertainty, Jism became a landmark film in Bipasha’s career and proved to be a game-changer for Bollywood.
Working on the film also allowed Bipasha and John to embark on a high-profile relationship, which ended in 2011.
On the work front, Bipasha Basu was last seen in a cameo appearance in Welcome to New York (2018), after which she took a hiatus from the big screen.
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